A Trip Down Comfort Food Lane! Southern Style Hot Hamburger Plate!

Let's do a little visualization exercise!  Close your eyes!  Remember back to when you were a child or young adult.  Your family went out to eat for a treat or celebration dinner or maybe it was just payday for dad.  You went to your favorite diner.  Ours was the Burlington Diner.  Then picture yourself being seated in your favorite booth with your brothers and sisters and mom and dad all around that wood grain formica table.  You asked your parents for a quarter to play a selection from the juke box.  As you flip through the pages on the table side selector, you fight with your sister about what song to choose.  Eventually your father takes the quarter away and plays Charlie Rich, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.  UGH!  DAAAAD!!!  But you enjoy it anyway while you are choosing from the menu.  So much to choose from!  Burgers, club sandwiches, fried chicken, eggplant or chicken parm, my usual choice of roasted turkey, stuffing, and fries with gravy, but sometimes I looked forward to getting the Salisbury steak and always leave room for a parfait glass full of green gelatin with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup.  Simple food, good company happy memories.  Ok, now you can come back to reality.

Today I want to share with you something that harkens back to that Burlington Diner salisbury steak.  Something that I have come to know, since moving to the south.  The hot hamburger plate.  Nothing special really except that this is good, old fashioned comfort food.  Not salisbury steak which has been fanicfied and dolled up with eggs, herbs and bread crumbs.  A mini meatloaf if you will.  No, the hot hamburger plate is the southern diner's answer to that fancier fare.  

Simple to make with good quality ground chuck, seasonings and an old fashioned pan gravy made with pan drippings, flour and beef stock.  Yes, this is comfort food at it's best.  The kind that you will find on any self respecting diner, truck stop or cafe menu in the south.  For that matter, we go to a burger joint that boasts this offering on their menu as well, served with fries instead of mashed and the burger is laid on top of a thick piece of Texas toast.  A feast fit for a king!  I almost always see a senior patron enjoying this selection every time we go.  

Well cooked burger patties, simmered in thick brown gravy served with mashed potatoes and green beans.  I also served this with some sauteed mushrooms.  Grilled onions are also a great accompaniment as well.  You make this how you like it.  Next time, I am going for the grilled onions too!

I am not sure why we don't have this more often.  It is delicious, economical and filling.  Always have enough left for lunch for two the next day.  This could even be done as a leftover makeover using grilled burgers from earlier in the week.  If you love to plan ahead, this would be a great use for those patties!  

I hope you enjoyed our little trip down memory lane.  I hope that you give the hot hamburger place a coveted spot on your weekly menu in coming weeks.  I think you will be glad you did!  Then think about all those other things you used to love as a kid when you got the great chance to eat at the diner or truck stop or cafe.  Make those things too!  Introduce them to your children or grand children.  Tell them your story around the dinner table!  Those are priceless moments you cannot purchase but they will be cherished!

I hope you try this and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video here:

Noreen's Kitchen

 Hot Hamburger Plate

Ingredients

2 pounds ground round 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon season salt 1 teaspoon steak seasoning 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup all purpose flour 4 cups beef stock or consommé

Step by Step Instructions

Combine ground chuck with spices and mix well by hand to incorporate.

Shape into 6 patties.  Poke a hole in the middle of each patty for even cooking.

Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed skillet or griddle over medium high heat.

Place burger patties on to cook.  You may need to do this in batches if you have more than your pan can accommodate.

Cook for about 5 being sure there is a nice crust.  Then flip and cook for an other 5 minutes.

When burger patties have been cooked completely, remove from pan to a plate lined with paper towels.  Set aside. 

Drain the fat from the pan and wash out your pan. 

Return a few tablespoons of the fat back to the cleaned pan and whisk in the flour over medium heat.

Add the beef stock and whisk well to incorporate.

Continue to cook over medium heat stirring to avoid lumps until the gravy has thickened to your liking.

Add the cooked burgers back into the pan and turn to cover in gravy.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow to sit for five minutes before serving.

Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans, maybe a biscuit.  Now you have a southern style, down home hot hamburger plate that would make any roadside diner, homestyle café or truck stop proud!

Enjoy!

Get a printable copy of this recipe on my website:  http://bit.ly/2aDOTqC

Easy Peasy & Fancy Schmancy! Pork Scallopini!

Today I want to share my quick and easy pork scallopini recipe with you!  Yes, you read that right!  Pork!  I accidentally took out a package of hand cut, boneless pork loin chops out of my freezer thinking they were chicken breasts because I forgot to label them.  So I needed to do something with these beauties.  Since I live in pork country, this is a super economical meal to make for my family and they love it.  You can, of course do this dish with thin chicken cutlets or even with the traditional veal cutlet if you prefer. 

This dish could not be any easier to make.  The end result is a silky, rich dish that is a mushroom lovers delight.  The light sauce is super flavorful and the perfect accompaniment to hot buttered pasta, rice or couscous.    

I started by slicing my pork chops in half.  I had hand cut some fairly thick chops off of a large whole pork loin I purchased.  So I got between two and three pork cutlets off of each chop and I had a total of four.  Then I pounded the cutlets with a meat mallet or something closely resembling a meat mallet.  In my case that would be a mini cast iron skillet.  That gets the job done.  You should use what you have available to you.  Then I dredged the meat pieces in a seasoned flour to coat.

The meat was sauteed in a mixture of butter and olive oil, in batches until they were all cooked and a bit browned.  Then I removed the meat to a warm plate to build my sauce.   I added onion garlic and a passel of mushrooms to the pan.  I also added a splash of chicken stock to de-glaze.  Then I let all the veggies steam saute for a bit to soften.  

Next I added chicken stock and lemon juice to the pan and gave everything a good stir.  Again I let this simmer for a few minutes to reduce and build flavor.  Then I added some additional butter to finish the sauce and give me a beautiful rich and glossy finish.  

I added the meat back to the pan and nestled those cutlets down in all that lovely sauce and mushroom loveliness.  I turned the heat down just a bit and let that simmer for a few additional minutes before turning the heat off and letting everything come to a peaceful rest before serving.

I served this on a bed of cooked and buttered angel hair pasta, but this would be just as delicious served with rice, plain or pilaf, couscous, quinoa or even cauliflower rice if you are on a low carb diet.  In which case, you can always leave out the flour and just sautee the meat in the butter and olive oil.  

This dish is quick and simple.  It has tons of flavor and a satisfying air about it.  I love this dish for a busy weeknight or a lazy weekend evening when I don't really want to do a bunch of work.  This is excellent served as I have shown or it can be dressed up for company and nobody has to know how easy it was for you to make!  I promise you though, they will be asking for the recipe!  So your secret won't be a secret for long.  

I hope you give this recipe for pork scallopini a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

Get a printable version of the recipe here:  http://bit.ly/1tdjvbx

Noreen's Kitchen

Pork Scallopini

Ingredients

2 pounds thin boneless pork loin chops 4 tablespoons butter, divided 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 pound Crimini mushrooms, sliced 1 large onion, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced Juice of 1 lemon 1 cup chicken stock or dry white wine

Step by Step Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet, over medium high heat.

If necessary, pound the pork chops with a meat mallet until they are about 1/8 inch thickness.

Mix together flour, salt and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish.

Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture to cover completely.  Set aside on a dish until all of your chops are finished.

Working in batches, brown the pork chops for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are browned and slightly crispy looking.  Remove to a covered plate to keep warm while to finish the rest.  Remember not to crowd the pan or you will not get a nice brown coating.

When the pork chops are cooked, add the onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Using a flat spatula, gently coax the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  If needed, add a splash of chicken stock to help you along.

Allow the vegetables to cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are softened.

Add the remaining chicken stock and the lemon juice to the pan with the veggies.  Stir well and allow the mixture to simmer for five additional minutes to reduce the sauce just a bit.

Add the butter to the sauce to finish.  Stir until it is incorporated.

Add the pork chops back to the pan and nestle them into the vegetables and sauce.  Allow to simmer for five more minutes.  This will help to thicken up and bind the sauce even further for a beautiful silky finish.

Turn off the heat and allow to sit for five minutes before serving over rice or pasta.

See how I made this in my YouTube video:

Here's the Skinny! How To Butterfly or Cutlet a Chicken Breast ~ Noreen's Kitchen Basics!

Today I wanted to share a kitchen basic with you.  How to prep, and butterfly a chicken breast.  This can also be referred to a prepping a chicken cutlet.  No matter what you call it, this is a simple task that you can do at home.  

The most important thing is to have a good, sharp knife.  Remember a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one.  Especially if you are slicing meat like this!  One slip in the wrong direction with a dull knife and you will have done much more damage that if the knife were sharp.

Get the Rada Cook's Knife Here:  http://amzn.to/25BCnSD

I am using my Rada Cooks Knife with an aluminum handle.  If you are interested in getting one, click the link above.   This is my favorite knife and I use it multiple times every day for just about everything.  If I could only have one prep knife, this would be it.  

The process for butterflying the chicken breast is simple.  Trim your piece of meat,  Lay it flat and place your non dominant hand on top.  Estimate what half of the thickness would be and gently run your knife along the chicken breast, opening up like a book as you go.  If you are new to this process, do it slowly and you will have success.  

When you have opened up the chicken breast, flip it over and place it between some plastic wrap in in my case, I used a zip top bag that I cut open on three sides.  Then use a meat mallet or a heavy bottomed skillet to pound the meat a bit thinner.  This will be helpful in breaking down the fibers of the meat and will allow you to use the chicken in recipes that require rolling such as chicken cordon bleu, Kiev or Marco Polo or in my spinach rollups.  This thin chicken cutlet can also be breaded and fried to be used on it's own or in chicken Parmesan, Milanese or picatta.  Left unbreaded this thin chicken can be used in chicken scallopini or my creamy lemon pepper chicken.  There are a number of ways to use this thin, butterflied chicken cutlet!  

Get the Norpro Meat Mallet Here: http://amzn.to/1WxwhO7

This is a very basic skill to know how to do in the kitchen and if you did not know how, I hope that I helped you learn!

If there are other kitchen basics you may like to learn leave me a comment and I will add them to the list!  You can also check out my kitchen basics playlist to see more skills that everyone should know how to do in the kitchen!

I hope you give this a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

See how I did this in my YouTube video: